The present invention relates to the network measurement and estimation equipment for people flow, for example, in cities, local areas, play grounds, exhibition halls, buildings/interbuildings and the like, and also it relates to the control equipment for controlling utilities and service facilities in the cities, local areas and the like.
Thereby, the present invention is capable of being applied to a number of support systems to assist a smooth, comfortable and safe city life and activity through the combined use of facilities such as a facilities control system, information service system, action instruction system (compulsory/recommendatory); moving vehicle operation control system, moving body (vehicle) entrance regulation system, event holding support system, environmental media representation system, evacuation guidance system, burglar alarm system, urban restructure planning support system, facilities-building optimized disposition support system, market survery support system, and information on the people flows therein and the like.
According to the prior art, in order to handle the problems in towns and cities related to the mass flow, or more specifically in case of a vehicle flow, transportation control systems, for example, have been put in service. In such case, vehicle sensors, image sensors, automatic vehicle identifier (AVI), ITV and the like are utilized as measuring equipment. In particular, in case of the application of image processing techniques, such items as follows are measured for the traffic signal control (Fuji-Techno System: Supervisory Control System Handbook, p. 1550, 1989).
Measurement intervals: every 1-5 min. PA0 Measurement items: number of vehicles, average speed, occupancy, average length of vehicle body, type of vehicle (large/small), quantities of flow.
Further, in a case where an object of measurement is people flow, there has been employed such a prior art as described in "Real-time measurement of people flow through ITV images" by Takaba et al., the Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers of Japan, Technical Study Report, IE80-73, November 1980. In this case, an ITV camera, VTR and computer are used as measurement equipment, memory unit and image processor unit, respectively. It is reported that the number of people can be measured relatively precisely in such an area where people are sparsely distributed and moving.
Still further, as an existing system serving as a kind of city information system, there is such a system whereby one can access from one's terminal through a video-tex network an information center where a large quantity of information is stored including the contents of various services, addresses, reservation status and the like.